The use of decorative post covers and columns has become increasingly popular in the railing industry. The post covers and columns are often used to cover unattractive metal fittings and connectors for cable railing or other types of railings. Traditionally, a wood post, such as a 4″×4″ post, for example, has been used to transfer railing structural and force components to the deck or surface on which the inner post is attached, and a decorative wood, fiberglass, PVC or composite sleeve is placed over the inner wood post.
In keeping with such decorative columns or sleeves being decorative, they often do not provide very much mechanical strength or integrity to the railing systems in which they are employed, often being columns or sleeves made of composite materials or fiberglass. Additionally, cable railings are typically lagged into wood posts internal to the decorative sleeve or column, in a labor intensive process requiring the use of expensive hardware and a structural post abutting the column.